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There were rumors circulating before the Caliber was released that a sedan variant might be in the works. I think that bit of information was unfounded and probably circulated by a "wishful thinker" instead of an actual reliable source. It's a shame that it wasn't true. I think Chrysler LLC lost market share by only offering hatchback/crossover configurations in the compact segment since the demise of the Neon (not that I want to see the Neon resurrected). Not every customer shopping in the compact segment wants a hatch/crossover product. I would still love to see Dodge (and only Dodge) offer a family of front wheel drive compact variants (sedan, coupe, hatch/wagon, and crossover). I think this would contribute more to their turnaround efforts than offering subpar, brand inappropriate products (Compass, Patriot, PT Cruiser) from Jeep and Chrysler. There is a limit to how many hatch/crossover products you can sell in the market no matter how much you vary the styling/design.

As Hyundai (and Kia) attempts to grow and expand, they seem to continually drift further and further away from forming any coherent design language to define the brand. Most of their products are total exercises in blandness with odd details attached in an attempt to add visual interest. The result is a strange combination of boring and bizarre. To make matters worse, they still have not outgrown their tendency to duplicate other companies' design cues/styling and combine these elements on one vehicle. The Genesis sedan is a major example of Hyundai's imitation styling practices. Like many of you have already noted; the front end is old school Lexus and the rest of the car is old school BMW. This car will succeed with the wannabe demographic who would like to buy a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, or Cadillac, but can't quite afford the payments or cheapskates who prefer their luxury on a budget. Unfortunately, due to the styling and brand affiliation, the car will never be taken seriously in the luxury segment. Hyundai needs to establish its own styling identity and create a separate luxury division if it wants to make an impact in the luxury segment. As far as the copycat styling practice, it is not a new situation in the market. Lexus began its climb into the luxury segment with knock-off old school Mercedes designs. Hyundai could pick a much worse brand to use as a model than Lexus. Although I still don't quite consider Lexus as being on par with the BMW/Mercedes duo, they have made great strides in respectability in a short period of time. I find it very interesting that the front end styling of this car pays homage to Lexus considering their similar beginnings. The only thing Toyota did better/different with Lexus is that they did create a seperate luxury division to sell their luxury products.

From a styling standpoint, the G8 is not entirely successful. I think the exterior is a little bland for Pontiac. Other than the slightly bland exterior, this car is a solid leap in the right direction as far as a brand appropriate product for the brand. Hopefully, this vehicle shows that GM might be serious about giving Pontiac an all rear wheel drive lineup that will restore the brand's affordable performance image. I'm tired of seeing Pontiac positioned as a slightly upscale Chevy brand. The G8 and Solstice point the way to a better future for Pontiac. I also agree that it is great to see GM receive another positive product review. Enclave, CTS, Malibu, and G8; GM really does seem to be on a roll lately. Keep up the good work!

"G" stands for "GAG!" I hate the alpha-numeric nomenclature. It lacks passion and excitement (as well as imagination), which are the things that I thought represented the Pontiac brand.

Putting my personal preferences about which vehicles I think deserve to be on the list aside, it is good to see GM receiving recognition for the strides they have made with their new products (CTS and Malibu).

Well, information about this proposed plan appeared on Autoblog and Leftlane News today, so I guess it's legit. It appears as though this proposal is one of several under consideration, so there is a chance this one might not become reality. As much as I think that Chrysler LLC's three brands need to be redefined and repositioned, I still think this could be accomplished in ways other than limiting the brands to one "type" of vehicle. Overlap only occurs when plans and products are not executed properly. Take the Avenger/Sebring siblings for example. Chrysler did give each car its own distinct exterior/interior appearance, but did little else to differentiate the platform mates. The Sebring's styling, interior materials, technology, and powertrains really don't elevate the car above the mainstream midsize sedan category. It is positioned, equipped, and priced to compete with the Avenger (and very little else unfortunately), instead of competing with upscale, near luxury offerings such as the Buick LaCrosse, Lincoln MKZ, Acura TL, and Lexus ES. This doesn't mean that the Chrysler and Dodge brands shouldn't both offer midsize sedans, but they need to offer midsize sedans that appeal to different customers (Dodge=sporty, affordable, mainstream, volume; Chrysler=sleek, upscale, luxury, exclusive). My personal preference would be for Chrysler to offer a rear wheel drive midsize sedan spun off a shortened version of the next generation 300's LY platform. This would give the Chrysler division a distinct, brand appropriate product and leave Dodge with the mainstream, front wheel drive midsize offering. Even if the Sebring and Avenger shared a platform, they could still be differentiated enough to prevent overlap. Regardless of my personal feelings about Toyota, I do have to admit that they do an excellent job of differentiating the Lexus ES from its Toyota Camry counterpart. They do this with distinct exterior/interior styling, powertrain offerings (the ES is only available with the V6), and exclusive features/equipment. The two cars attract different types of clientele based on the cars' execution and the price that execution commands in the market.

I agree with a lot of you on this topic. This doesn't look like a restructuring plan to revive the company in the market. It looks like preparatory measures for a sell-off. If it isn't a sell-off measure, then it is the most clear-cut case of stupidity in the current auto market. Like many of you, I agree that Jeep should be the only brand to offer traditional SUV products. That segment has shrunk to niche-size proportions and Jeep has traditionally been a niche player in the market (as well as being well-known for this type of product). I envisioned Dodge becoming Chrysler LLC's version of Chevrolet; it would be a sporty, affordable, mainstream, mass market brand. It would sell the widest range of vehicles and become the volume player in the brand hierarchy. The Chrysler brand would morph into a true near luxury niche brand. It's main competitors would be second tier near luxury brands such as Lincoln, Buick, and Acura. Oh well, so much for my hopes of a bright future for Chrysler LLC.

I totally agree. If you are in the market for this type of vehicle and Toyota is your brand of choice, I would wait a couple of years for them to work the bugs out. They certainly dropped the ball with the new Tundra. Since this vehicle is based on the same platform, etc., I would be equally cautious about its build quality and reliability. As for item number three listed above, I have an addition to make: IT'S COLASSALLY HUGE AND INCREDIBLY UGLY!

I have to admit that I like the front end styling of the car in question (facelifted Buick Excelle). The rest of the car is essentially what we in the U.S. know as the Suzuki Forenza; it's not so great. The Suzuki Forenza definitely does not fit my idea of an appropriate product for Buick. On the future Chevrolet forum, there is a post about the future of the next generation Impala (RWD vs. FWD). In the posted article it stated that cars shorter than the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu could be built off the Epsilon platform due to its flexibility. Wouldn't it be great if Buick could have a compact sedan based off this architecture (independent rear suspension vs. Delta's beam axle rear setup). The car could have a Saab product as a platform sibling (with its own unique styling). I know it's wishful thinking on my part (the Delta based product is probably locked down by now), but it would be awesome.

What a biased, condescending little *!@#&$! I agree with caddycruiser. Mr. Lebeau tries a little too hard to undermine Buick's good news by regurgitating facts about their recent trials and shortcomings sprinkled with his own bias slants. Why would GM close down Buick if it has such a solid hit on its hands. I think it shows that Buick still has life in it yet if it offers properly executed, brand appropriate, near luxury products. I look to the Enclave to signal a Renaissance at Buick much like the CTS has signaled a Cadillac revival. I hope they succeed just to prove this jerk wrong.

Maybach is one of the most useless brands in the auto market today. Mercedes would have done better to take an S-Class sedan, stretch it, add in ultra-luxury features, and call it a day. These cars look like stretched/distorted Mercedes sedans. I think this is why the brand has not performed up to Daimler's expectations. Bentley and Rolls-Royce have history and market recognition as well as distinctive designs that do not resemble products offered by their parent corporations' other brands. The Maybach brand was revived due to German ultra-luxury brand envy and serves as a monument to someone's out of control ego. Daimler was jealous because BMW and VW snatched up Britain's ultra-luxury brands and they were left out in the cold.

This looks great. It's a nice evolution of the original. It looks like they carried over the Matrix interior with some slight modifications. It really doesn't matter. Thankfully, they left the exterior of the Matrix behind. The Matrix is hideous. The Vibe definitely received the nicer exterior design. I still hope that Pontiac receives their all rear wheel drive lineup in the near future. Although I like this car, it really doesn't fit in with Pontiac's brand mission. I am glad that it is here to keep Pontiac going until the great, new Alpha cars make it to market.

Wow! Good news for Dodge and Chrysler LLC. This car looks like an exciting little pocket rocket. I do like the exterior design of the Caliber. So many people have ripped on it for looking bad, but I just don't see it. Compared to its predecessor and some other alternatives currently on the market, I think it is a definite improvement. I definitely don't see the Aztek rear end comparisons. The only element about it that bugs me is the unfinished black side mirrors on some models and the unfinished black door handles on the cheaper models. These elements give a cheap feel to an otherwise attractive exterior design. The interior would be o.k. except for the cheapy hard plastic. If Chrysler LLC can get this practice toned down quite a bit or eliminated completely, then I think the cars it produces wouldn't get such a bad rap. Anyway, it's great to see Dodge attend the performance compact party. It looks prepared to show the rest of the crowd some interesting moves on the dance floor.

This car is a one-off and should stay that way. The Chrysler brand needs to move upmarket if it wants to become relevant in the market again and not remain a "fancy Dodge" alternative. I agree that it could use some sort of halo car to attract interest and generate excitement for the brand. A rebadged Challenger is not the appropriate product to signal Chrysler's intentions or brand image. Plymouth is dead and it's not coming back. As sad as I think that is, it's reality. Dodge is now Chrysler's sporty, affordable, mainstream, mass market brand. Chrysler LLC has its hands full at the moment fixing its three current unfocused brands. It does not need to reintroduce another brand to add to the chaos.

I saw one in person today. Pictures do not do this car justice. It is nice looking. Even the odd taillights look better in person. Although I would still like to see Chevy offer a Charcoal/Slate interior combo in the LTZ trim level, I must admit that the Cocoa/Cashmere interior combo looks better in person than it does in pictures. I don't particularly like fake wood trim, but it's applied in a really nonintrusive way in the Malibu. The dealership only had one LT model, so I didn't get to see the LTZ Brick/Black combo in person yet. Except for a couple of quirks (no available navigation, no rear center armrest, no grab handles), I don't see any reason why this car can't give the Accord or Camry some serious competition in the midsize sedan segment. Hopefully, the media blitz will attract some serious attention to this great, new vehicle. It deserves it.

I know Subaru needs help, but does it have to come from Toyota? On the other hand, I guess it might be appropriate from a design perspective. Both companies have compact sedans (Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla) that look like they emerged from design teams suffering from sedative-induced comas.

Nice pictures. I do agree with the other comments about interior color combinations. I built an LTZ model online. You had a choice of the Brick/Black combo (I don't really care for the Brick color) or Cocoa/Cashmere combo (I don't really care for the tan/brown interior or fake wood appliques). I wish they had a Charcoal/Slate combo with the metallic look trim of the Brick/Black combo for the LTZ model. Otherwise, this is one nice looking Chevy. This is the first sedan that Chevy has produced in a long while that I would actually consider owning.

I think it would be interesting if Scion would create a sporty compact competitor to the Mazda3 sedan, Civic sedan, and Mitsubishi Lancer on the tC platform. That would leave Toyota free to continue to offer the bland, appliance-like Corolla to Toyota loyalists. Scion would be the brand to go to for the sportier, edgier, more modern compact sedan. I am pretty sure people who gravitate toward the three cars mentioned above will not take a second look at a Corolla.

If the recent pictures of the upcoming Vibe are accurate, I say wait for the Vibe. I have to give Toyota credit for at least making some attempt at making this car look like it was redesigned (that's more than I can say for the Corolla). I do think the availability of the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder with 5 speed automatic and AWD is good news (only because they will probably find their way onto the Vibe). The car also has standard 4 wheel antilock disc brakes and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel which probably will also be on the Vibe. Basically, I see it this way: As an individual vehicle, I'm not that impressed with this thing. As an introduction to upgrades on the superior looking Vibe, it's kind of exciting news.

Both the "New" Corolla and Matrix are on Toyota's official website. The Matrix fares a little better than the Corolla, but I still can't say that I am impressed with it either. The Mazda3 5-door has nothing to worry about from the Matrix. Some good news is the availability of the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine (the 1.8 liter 4 cylinder is standard) and AWD on the Matrix (the 2.4 liter engine is also an upgrade on the Corolla). I don't recall seeing any information about the auto transmission that will be available with the 2.4 liter engine (I might have overlooked it). Both the Corolla and Matrix will have rear disc brakes and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel also. So there is a little good news to balance out both cars' bland/lame appearances. If the recent picture of the Pontiac Vibe is accurate, I would wait for this vehicle to come out instead of purchasing a Matrix. I would expect the Vibe to receive the same upgrades as the Matrix. When combining these upgrades with the Pontiac's superior appearance, I would buy it instead of the Matrix.

I totally agree. I thought Toyota delayed releasing the redesigned Corolla because they thought it looked too dated after they saw the redesigned Civic. Well, it still looks dated. I don't really see it as a redesign. It looks like they just restyled the current car with a new front end and slightly altered rear design. The profile really didn't change at all. This is pitiful. The Mazda3 has been on the market since the 2004 model year and looks a thousand times more current than this car. I'm not really fond of the current Civic sedan or Sentra, but I would choose these cars before I would consider the "redesigned" Corolla. I don't want to see any more negative posts about the 2008 Focus (which I don't care for either) from any Toyota fans after seeing this disgraceful lump of metal. To me, it seems like Toyota unsuccessfully followed Ford's playbook (which would explain the Ford grille treatment on the SEMA version). To top it off, this same design has been on sale in other territories outside the U.S. for quite a while now. Again I ask, "Why the blasted delay to not offer anything new or exciting?" I haven't seen the redesigned Matrix yet, but I hope that it fared better than this joke.

Horrible paint job on the exterior! Yikes! I didn't think anyone could make this beautiful vehicle look ugly, but they did.

I understand the financial reasons for relocating production to a developing company. Mercedes will not generate a profit on this car if it doesn't do this. I just hope they monitor quality closely so the car doesn't bomb in the market due to reliability issues.

Hopefully Buick is reconsidering that hideous new grille that they slapped on the show car version, but I seriously doubt it. I have also wondered why it is not on their website yet. I thought the Super trim models rollout would be one huge, combined event to celebrate and market the return of the Super moniker. Maybe they are staggering the rollouts to help keep interest levels elevated for the brand. Another reason could be that the LaCrosse needed some serious attention to return it to the consciousness of consumers without being overshadowed by the Lucerne. I'm not sure either, but there must be someone out there with some insider information.

I agree with the comments on your work: GREAT JOB! This car is amazing! GM has made it look futuristic without giving it an odd space pod appearance. It should do a lot to advance alternative powertrain technology.